George Osborne: Oleg Deripaska timeline

George Osborne, the shadow chancellor, has been embroiled in controversy after he admitted discussing a substantial donation to the Conservative Party from a controversial Russian oligarch.

By Chris Irvine

12:12PM BST 22 Oct 2008

Mr Osborne is alleged to have suggested Oleg Deripaska donate £50,000 to the Tories despite him not being eligible to vote in the UK.

The revelations that Mr Osborne had met with Mr Deripaska came after Nat Rothschild issued a statement saying Mr Osborne discussed the prospect of the donation.

Mr Rothschild's intervention was allegedly in retaliation for Mr Osborne revealing details of private discussions he had with Lord Mandelson, who stayed at Mr Rothschild's Corfu villa, along with Mr Osborne.

Here is a timeline of the chain of events that has left Labour MPs calling for the shadow chancellor to be sacked and investigated to see if he has broken the law.

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It is alleged Mandelson had been "dripping poison" into the shadow chancellor's ears about Prime Minister Gordon Brown during their dinners in Corfu. A spokesman for Osborne declined to comment.

Oct 16 - It is disclosed Lord Mandelson, despite being new business secretary, had been stripped of an anti-corruption role, despite his predecessor John Hutton holding the brief.

Oct 17 - Mandelson faces fresh questions about his relationship with Oleg Deripaska after it emerged he met him for dinner on at least two occasions in Moscow, prompting demands he "come clean" about the extent of his links.

Oct 19 - The Business Secretary uses a television interview to defend his integrity and his judgment.

Speaking on BBC1's Andrew Marr Show, in which he also addressed the subject of his long-running feud with Gordon brown, he said: "I have a very clear view of my public role and the responsibilities I have in that public role and how I spend my private time.

"There has been innuendo in the newspapers that I gave favours or I gave benefits as trade commissioner to certain individuals because of my personal friendship with them. There is not one jot of truth in that.

"You are creating a whole lot of smoke, a whole lot of innuendo.

"You cannot do business as a European trade commissioner in Russia, India, China, South Africa, Brazil, all the big emerging economies of the world without having contact with the big business and economic figures in those countries as well as the political figures."

Oct 21 - The Times disclose details of a letter received from Nathaniel Rothschild, a friend of both Mr Osborne and Lord Mandelson. In it, he says Mr Osborne met Mr Deripaska on his yacht and he alleges there was discussion of a possible £50,000 donation to the Conservative Party.

Mr Osborne and Andrew Feldman, the Conservative Party's chief executive, spent time on Mr Deripaska's yacht in Corfu, where they reportedly "solicited a donation".

Mr Feldman suggested Mr Deripaska might channel the money through one of his British companies, according to the claims made by Mr Rothschild.

The claim is strenuously denied by the Conservatives who insist that it was Mr Deripaska, at a later date, who offered money.

It emerges Mr Rothschild made changes to his version of events hours before going public. In the version of the letter published, it suggests Mr Deripaska was not present at a vital conversation, but in the first version of the letter Mr Rothschild claimed he was.

Oct 21 - George Osborne and the Conservatives release a 900-word statement detailing the meetings of the shadow chancellor during his summer holiday. He admits to being invited to the Russian's yacht by Mr Rothschild.

Conservative statement says during a conversation at Mr Rothschild's villa terrace, there was a discussion about politics in which Mr Rothschild suggested to Mr Feldman and Mr Deripaska that he could be interested in making a party donation.

Mr Feldman was unaware of who Mr Deripaska was. Mr Feldman made clear there were strict rules on donations to political parties.

Following the holiday, on September 18, Mr Feldman and Mr Rothschild discussed that Leyland Daf, a company recently purchased by Mr Deripaska, would be interested in making a donation. After some consultation it was decided the donation would not be appropriate.